The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon

Morning, all! Today I'm a stop on the TLC tour for Jennifer McMahon's latest, The One I Left Behind.

In 1985, Reggie's mother disappeared. She was assumed to be the final victim of Neptune, a killer whose MO included cutting off his victim's right hand and leaving the hand, packaged in a milk carton, for police to find. Each victim was kept alive for four days after and then left in a public place to be found. Only the body of Reggie's mother was never found. Just her dismembered hand. Now Reggie's all grown up and her mother has been found, alive. What, if anything, Reggie's mother remembers about Neptune or the past twenty-five years is yet to be figured out. She's sick and seemingly out of her mind. Reggie left her home years ago without looking back, but she'll return now to care for her dying mother, finding herself once again drawn into the painful secrets of the past and facing those that have built for the past two decades. Then Neptune strikes again, this time taking another victim that was once close to Reggie.

Jennifer McMahon is a master at drawing out a story, teasing the reader and revealing things at a carefully plotted pace. It's truly engrossing! As The One I Left Behind plays out, there are tiny clues as to the identity of Neptune and the various information characters are hiding, but it's always just enough to increase the tension and suspense without giving too much away. Every time I thought I'd figured it out, McMahon threw me for another loop, so the big reveal at the end was truly a surprise to me. Excellent in all regards yet again!

I've been a fan of McMahon's work since the release of Promise Not to Tell, a book that had already begun generating buzz in the industry when it hit shelves. I'd read so much praise about the book that I had to get my grubby little book junkie hands on it as soon as possible. Once I was able to track down a copy (and I was not pleased when I didn't immediately find it in stores) I dove in and have never looked back. Each new release from McMahon is on my "Must Have" list as soon as it's announced. I jumped at the opportunity to participate in this tour and have to admit that I did a really dorky happy dance as soon as I received a copy of The One I Left Behind :)

To see more stops on the tour, visit the official TLC tour page here.

For more on McMahon and her other work, visit her official website. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. And as a fun extra, check out this great little interview from Publishers Weekly.

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Aria and Perry are reunited after their months apart. Now, Aria has struck a deal with the same man who banished her from Reverie, promising to find the legendary Still Blue -- a portion of Earth that remains untouched by the violent Aether storms that have become the norm since the solar flare that devestated the atmosphere so many generations ago. The Pods are now plagued by Degenerative Limbic Syndrome, an illness Aria's own mother was studying before dying in the destruction of Bliss. What's more, the Pods are no longer safe from the Aether either. But Aria's presence amongst the Tides brings discord to the already troubled tribe and threatens Perry's position as Blood Lord.

This follow up to Under the Never Sky definitely delivered as far as moving the story ahead. It can be problematic finding a balance between world building, character development, and story progression -- especially, it seems, in a shorter YA title. After spending 2/3 of the first book traveling with Aria and Perry, I definitely wanted to see more in the action department and Through the Ever Night did not disappoint.

We also get more of other character's stories here as well. Aria and Perry still get center spotlight, but Roar is a huge part of this installment and we finally meet Liv as well. What's more, the story travels to yet another tribe, giving us another glimpse of more of the world around Aria and Perry.

The ending in Through the Ever Night is pretty killer. It's definitely one that leaves readers on the edge of their seats, which is another reason I found this installment a bit more exciting and overall satisfying than Under the Never Sky. Now I desperately want more!

Through the Ever Night hits shelves today!

The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

Let me first say that if you haven't read any of the Dark Tower series... well, I can only hope you decide to dive in soon. That said, you could probably read The Wind Through the Keyhole you've yet to read the seven core titles but note there will be a few spoilers (the biggest one sadly had slipped my mind entirely! My husband had read them more recently and I had to ask him to refresh my memory.).

If you're a fan, though, then you're sure to enjoy this brief and welcome return visit with Roland and his ka-tet. It should be understood, though, that this book doesn't move the Dark Tower story forward at all. It's simply a return trip in which Roland shares two stories of his youth.

After the events of Wizard and Glass and while traveling to what will come in Wolves of the Calla, Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy find themselves waylaid by a starkblast -- a massive and dangerous storm front. They take refuge in an abandoned city hall to wait out the storm. Here, Roland entertains the group with two stories - one true and one that his mother shared with him as a child. The first is the story of Roland's first assignment as a gunslinger. A skin changer has been terrorizing the town of Debaria and Roland is sent to handle the matter. The other story is a tale called "The Wind Through the Keyhole." In this story, a young boy goes on a quest to find a cure for his mother and experiences wonderful and terrible things (much like The Talisman). 

I adored this book. While it is just a taste of the Dark Tower and it definitely did leave me longing for me, it was, as I said above, a very welcome return to the world and the characters of the series.

The created world here is one that I could return to again and again and again. I do hope that we'll get more in the future, though the series is very clearly wrapped up in the seven DT installments. I just love it, though. All of the parallels and the unique differences between our world and Roland's and the possibilities of the different worlds along the beam.

Roland's story again combines the unique western, fantasy, and horror aspects that I love about this series, while "The Wind Through the Keyhole" is very much a fairy tale. And wouldn't that be fabulous? A book of unique fairy tales from Stephen King?! That would be amazing. Ah well. We get what we get.

I'm a bit of a Stephen King addict and The Wind Through the Keyhole definitely made my favorites list of 2012. In fact, it was one of the last books I read of the year.  I can see it's going to be time for a Dark Tower reread on my part very, very soon thanks to Wind. I've already tortured myself with the excerpt of Dr. Sleep that was included as part of the estory In the Tall Grass and that one's not due out until September (although Joe Hill's NOS4A2 will be coming out much sooner and I've downloaded his short Thumbprint just recently as well).

Do yourself a favor, readers. Give the Dark Tower series a chance if you've not as of yet. In fact, start with The Talisman and let yourself get roped into the series that way! It's a fabulous dark fantasy tale that links to the Dark Tower and hooked me when I was in college. From there you dive into The Gunslinger, very weird western and the shortest of the series. Then move ahead into The Drawing of the Three and The Wastelands (my FAVORITE of the series). If you're not hooked by then, there may not be any hope for you.

New Releases 1/8/12

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

The Tell by Hester Kaplan

The Kassa Gambit by M.C. Planck

The Uninvited by Liz Jensen

Blood Gospel by James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell

Watching the Dark by Peter Robinson

Finding Camlann by Sean Pidgeon

1356 by Bernard Cornwell

Merciless by Lori Armstrong

Ice Forged by Gail Z. Martin

The Midwife's Tale by Sam Thomas

The Bughouse Affair by Marcia Muller & Bill Pronzini

The History of Us by Leah Stewart

A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

Footprints in the Sand by Mary Jane Clark

A Study in Revenge by Kieran Shields

Collateral Damage by Stuart Woods

The Beggar King by Oliver Potsch

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

Blood Money by James Grippando

The Lawyer's Lawyer by James Sheehan

Jungleland by Christopher S. Stewart

Kinsey & Me by Sue Grafton

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

What We Saw At Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Doomed by Tracy Deebs

Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosemblum

Farseed by Pamela Sargent (reissue)

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Broken by A. E. Rought

Timekeeper by Alexandra Monir

Rise by Andrea Cremer

Crash by Lisa McMann

New on DVD:
House at the End of the Street
Dredd
Frankenweenie
Hit & Run

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:
Through the Ever Night
The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
Earthseed by Pamela Sargent
Vanity Fare by Megan Caldwell

Edge of Black by J.T. Ellison

So, readers. I did actually read both installments of J.T. Ellison's new Samantha Owens series pretty much back to back but I'm only now getting around to doing my write up for Edge of Black here for the blog (though I did review it for Bookbitch.com this week).

And of course I HAD to get to Edge of Black as soon as I possibly could after finishing A Deeper Darkness. I just couldn't get enough!

Sam is starting over -- new city, new job, and even a new boyfriend. Convinced she needs a break from her job as a Medical Examiner, she's taken on a teaching position at Georgetown University. When a student falls ill as a result of what's clearly a biological attack on the capitol, Sam finds her skills as an ME are called upon once more. The attack has been contained and so far the number of deaths is limited to just three, one of whom happens to be a senator who's made more than a few enemies with his stance on policies. But why these three victims? And why did the senator receive an ominous text just moments before his own death? Sam is determined to find out. Meanwhile, her new boyfriend, Xander Whitfield, has heard through the grapevine that the attack could be the work of a local rather than some overseas terrorist group. Using his own connections, he sets off to see if he can find the killer before it's too late.

Ah! This one is crazy good! I think I liked it even more than A Deeper Darkness, which I wouldn't have thought possible until now. I love, love, loved the bio warfare/outbreak aspect here! The science seems spot on (I'd never know the difference but even if it's not, Ellison makes it believable).

I love the relationships and the interplay between the characters in Ellison's work. Sam and Xander, of course, and Detective Darren Fletcher as well. But then there are the other smaller characters, too: Nocek, Xander's parents, and all of the others that inhabit the book. I've mentioned it before, but Ellison's character development is some of the best I've come across.

Really another fine outing from Ellison! She's such an exciting author and I'm always looking forward to what she'll do next.

As an aside, I just bought these two for my friend as a Christmas gift as well (hopefully I haven't included any spoilers if she's reading these posts!).

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Reverie is the only home Aria has ever known, and it's just one of many Pods created after a solar flare destroyed Earth's atmosphere. Here the Chosen and their descendants have lived a charmed and protected life, never wanting for anything and safe from the dangerous Aether storms outside. Aria and her friends only meant to have a little fun when they broke into the defunct agriculture dome but their night of adventure ends in tragedy and Aria finds herself banished to the outside world -- a punishment that means almost certain death. Perry saved Aria once before, on that fateful night. Now he is her only chance of survival. But Perry isn't gung ho to buddy up with a Dweller. Especially not after they stole his nephew. If he wants to save the boy, Aria might prove to be his only hope.

I read through the majority of Veronica Rossi's debut on the plane home for Christmas. It was a super quick read and definitely engrossing enough to keep me distracted during the flight. I found that the promise of reading both this first and the follow up title back to back was much more satisfying than if I'd had to wait, however. Under the Never Sky spends a lot of time setting up the world. It's not something that normally bothers me but with a book a short as this one, it meant that the story didn't move forward very much. The plus is that Rossi also uses this time to build her characters quite well.

The premise is pretty standard post apocalyptic, utopian/dystopian fare: Destruction of the atmosphere leaves Earth all but uninhabitable so a series of domed cities is created for the chosen few. Power in the domes rests in the hands of a select few but all is not as great as it seems. But the setting is a bit unique. The tribes and the roving bands of Croven as well as the Aether storms are different as is the explanation for the mutations exhibited amongst the outsiders -- Audiles, those with excellent hearing ability; Scires, those whose sense of smell is greatly enhanced; and Seers, those with exception sight.

I will say the Scire ability gave me a bit of the creeps, though, especially when Perry starts spending an excessive amount of time talking about Aria's scent... um, ew.

While I have to admit that I much preferred book two (review coming soon), I did quite enjoy this series opener. My suggestion would be to pick up both and read them back to back -- and then suffer alongside me as we all wait for book three to come out after the great ending of book two!

Under the Never Sky is now out in paperback and the sequel, Through the Ever Night, hits shelves in hardcover on Jan 8. HarperCollins also has a new prequel e novella out, Roar and Live: Under the Never Sky.

Vanity Fare by Megan Caldwell

Morning, readers! I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Megan Caldwell's Vanity Fare: A Novel of Lattes, Literature and Love this morning.

Molly Hagan's husband has left her and she needs to get a job -- quick. Said husband has just informed her that he's lost his job and can no longer provide child support and Molly's insurance is running out. Fortunately a friend comes through with some temporary contract work that involves copywriting for an up and coming bakery in the city. The chef behind the concept is a hot (literally and figuratively) Englishman hoping their location near the New York Library will draw crowds. Molly's well read and has an English major so the job seems just about perfect. With just one exception, the chef's business partner is a bit of a cold fish. But when Molly begins to connect with both men, things start to get very interesting. Little does she know, they're both hiding things from her.

Vanity Fare is super cute! Molly is addicted to coffee and romance novels, spends much of her time worrying about how best to provide for her son, and is funny to boot. This combination makes her the kind of heroine I can really get behind!

The progression of the story is pretty great. I don't know that I'd have invited Nick into my life as quickly as Molly did with this story -- that was the only thing I had a little tough time swallowing. Other than that, I was laughing out loud and drooling over the descriptions of the pastries inside.

The book does include a few recipes for some of the mentioned baked goods. Unfortunately, baking at high altitude comes with many challenges and temper tantrums on my part so I didn't try any of them. I'd be interested to hear how they come out if other readers are inspired to try them though.

If you're in the mood for a light read that's both filling and funny, I'd highly recommend checking this one out (sorry, I'm not as good at puns as Molly is!). Just be prepared and have some cookies handy :)

To see what others on the tour thought, visit the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Megan and her work (she also writes romance as Megan Frampton) visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Pinterest.